The present invention relates generally to roadway management, and more particularly, to computers using sensors such as location sensors, depth sensors, and cameras to evaluate road pavement markings at a location and output pavement marking data for the location to a pavement painting system.
Current methods to apply pavement markings for roadways include determining a center of a road using a manual measurement of the road width. A road width may be manually measured and the center of the road is determined and marked at multiple locations along the road. Once the center of a road is determined, a truck with painting equipment uses the manually applied marks to position the truck and to guide the painting system to apply the pavement marks. The painting system is typically on a movable arm positioned by a second operator for paint application on a road surface.
Typically, the location of pavement marks for roadways such as slow lanes are manually determined using the center of a road as a reference mark for the application of pavement markings. The center of the road is used to offset additional pavement markings such as lines depicting merge lanes, bike lanes, intersection stop lines, turn arrows, etc. The pavement markings for a road are typically included in a road plan based on the required traffic control marks as defined in a manual or document for a governing entity (e.g., a providence, a state, or a country). The pavement markings can be specified in a traffic specification or document for governing traffic regulations such as a Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) in the United States or other similar document in another country.
Existing pavement markings may be inspected or evaluated to determine if the pavement marking meet a required quality level (e.g., the pavement marks meet defined criteria or thresholds for visibility). An inspector, typically a Department of Transportation inspector or other similar trained individual, performs the inspection to evaluate if the existing pavement markings are acceptable based on one or more criteria defined in the governing traffic specifications such as the MUTCD.